LIGHT-FINGERED residents may have walked off with hundreds of valuable artworks and furnishings from the Elysée, the Cour des Comptes public finance watchdog fears.
The auditors say an inventory drawn up since the problem was first revealed in 2008 showed 721 items had vanished from the list of 8,352 loaned by the Mobilier National (national state furniture collection), national museums and the contemporary art fund.
They raised concerns over the conservation of the furnishings, tapestries, carpets and works of art placed in the presidential residence from national collections, in an annual report into the president’s offices' finances.
They added: “Due to the lack of a thorough and updated understanding of this heritage, numerous objects disappear without it being possible to make any administrative or criminal investigation into who was responsible when, too late, the disappearances are noticed.”
The Elysée said: “No work of art, object or furnishing has gone missing since the start of Mr Sarkozy's mandate. Any disappearances would date to before 2007” [ie. the presidencies of Jacques Chirac – 1995-2007 – or before].
Mr Sarkozy’s officials said that of the 721 items which had vanished 498 had been being missing “for a long time” and 223 having gone “since 1995”. Full checks have yet to be made on items lent from museums.
The Cour des Comptes said the Elysée had “with notable rigour” been making a digital inventory “so as to finally have the furniture entrusted to it looked after in a secure and responsible way”
